白费蜡

白费蜡

Literally means:

waste the candle

Actually means:

蜡 is candle. This phrase is the short form for the Chinese idiom 瞎子点灯, 白费蜡 (lighting a candle for a blind person — a sheer waste). This phrase figuratively means taking a lot of trouble to do something without achieving the goal. It is often used to persuade someone not to waste his energy.

蜡，蜡烛。白费蜡，歇后语“瞎子点灯，白费蜡”的缩略。比喻耗费气力或心思而没有把事情办成或办好。多用来劝告别人不要浪费精力。